Simon's Oscar Preview: Technical Achievements

This week's schedule:
Monday - Art & Design, Music
Tuesday - Technical Achievements
Wednesday - Short Films, Special Feature Films
Thursday - Writing & Directing, Acting
Friday - Best Picture

Films I haven't seen are marked accordingly.

FILM EDITING
Nominees: Black Swan, The Fighter, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network

Who Will Win: The Social Network
Who Should Win: 127 Hours

Best Picture winners often nab top honors for editing as well, so I fully expect The Social Network to take charge here. Mind you, I found the editing in 127 Hours to be absolutely astonishing. In a film with only one character and (for the most part) one location, the flow from one shot into the next is key. Jon Harris' editing is what made 127 Hours work, if you ask me, and deserves the official recognition.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Nominees: Black Swan, Inception, The King's Speech, The Social Network, True Grit

Who Will Win: Black Swan
Who Should Win: Black Swan

I do not believe that Matthew Libatique's work on Black Swan can be ignored. His claustrophobic, gritty images perfectly complement the story being told. He's been Darren Aronofsky's longtime collaborator and he clearly understands the tone and style Aronofsky is seeking. The film's poorly lit, dank hallways are as much a character in Black Swan as the dancers themselves. Inception should clean up most of the tech awards, but Cinematography should ultimately fall to Libatique.

VISUAL EFFECTS
Nominees: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Hereafter, Inception, Iron Man 2

Who Will Win: Inception
Who Should Win: Inception

This should be pretty clear-cut. Forcing Paris to stack itself on top of itself was a stunning visual achievement, while the sequence of Joseph Gordon-Levitt fighting in a spiraling hallway is one of the key film moments of the year. Obviously, this category is full of movies with massive visual spectacles for the popcorn-munching hordes, but none of them can actually go toe to toe with Christopher Nolan's sheer ambition.

SOUND EDITING
Nominees: Inception, Toy Story 3, Tron: Legacy, True Grit, Unstoppable

Who Will Win: Inception
Who Should Win: Inception

This is where the Inception tech juggernaut should really gain steam (although I realize that metaphor serves Unstoppable better). That said, the sprawling story lines and worlds-within-worlds-within-worlds elements of Inception required some epic sound work and the film did not disappoint. This is a frenetic movie we're talking about and Richard King's editing can certainly be called the glue that holds it together. I actually have a soft spot for the shuddering sound work used for Unstoppable's train-as-monster, but again, Inception should rule the day here.

SOUND MIXING
Nominees: Inception, The King's Speech, Salt, The Social Network, True Grit

Who Will Win: Inception
Who Should Win: The King's Speech

So, by now, you should understand why Inception will win here, but pause for a moment and consider The King's Speech. Here we have a movie all about audio, where the quality and character of the main character's voice is key to the entire narrative. Those who have seen the movie will remember the film's climax, where Colin Firth is patiently coached through looming, ominous silence. The sound mix is absolutely essential to the moment. I fully expect Inception to continue its tech domination here, but I certainly feel The King's Speech deserves this particular spotlight.